Amalgamator



S. E. WOODWORTH.

Ore Washer. No. 32,022. v Patented April 9, 1861.

wuamZ r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SELIM E. WOOD\VORTI-I, OF MURPHY, CALIFORNIA.

AMALGAMATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,022, dated April 9, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SELIM E. VVooDwoRrH, of Murphy, Galaveras county,and State of California, have invented a new and useful Apparatus forAmalgamation of Precious Metals, which I call a Fou11tai11Rifile;'and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the con struction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which p Figure l, is a perspective view of the apparatus; and Fig. 2,is a sectional view.

I A, A, is an air-chamber in the upper part of a hollow globe; B, is ahollow shaft passing down through the top of the globe to its center,the upper part of this shaft terminates in a box or table C; D is anoutlet to the box or table, placed where most convenient; E, is a pipeof a diameter, say, one third that of the shaft B, through the center ofwhich it passes, and is kept in place by the set screws F, F, or otherconvenient device, this pipe should extend below the lower end of shaftB, to the line of the mercury as represented by G, G, and should extendupward to, at least, the extent of the diameter of the globe, above thetable C; H, is a hole in the bottom of the globe for the withdrawal ofthe mercury or amalgam, this hole can be closed with a wooden plug orotherwise.

Operation: The hole H, being closed, the globe is filled with mercury,say, to the line G, G; the tailings or slum from quartz mills, andarrastres, or from tail-races, fiumes or ditches used in placer gold orsilver washings, or matter containing precious metals are received intothe globe through the pipe E, upon the mercury at the bottom, the airspace A, A, will prevent these tailings or other matter from risinghigher within the globe than, about, the line at I, I, the superabundantmass of water and other matter will pass off through the hollow shaft B,over the table C, through the opening D, the precious metals having beendeposited in the mercury; the pressure upon the contents of the globebelow the line I, I, is uniform in consequence of the compressed air inthe chamber A, A, and the mercury-bath at the bottom of the globe, byreason of this uniform pressure, presents an unbroken surface to thetailings or other matter as they pass over it.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

An airtight vessel A, partially filled with mercury, in combination withtwo concentric tubes B, E, and table C, all constructed as and for thepurposes described.

S. E. IVOODVV'ORTH. lVitnesses M. H. HAVLAND, F. F. CorrIN.

